The eggs you get from a free-ranging chicken taste better and are so much healthier than eggs from factory chickens.

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – To help the farm-to-table movement gain popularity in Huntsville, city icon Harrison Brothers Hardware store is trying a new tactic: farm-to-window.

“The slow food movement has been gaining traction nationwide and here in Huntsville over the last few years, and we’d like to see that grow stronger,” said Ginger Cobl, Harrison Brothers store manager.

To that end, yesterday afternoon three baby chicks took up residence in the front window of Harrison Brothers. Nestled in a chicken brooder under a warming lamp, the chicks will live in the window for about two weeks in full view of the Courthouse Square.

“Chickens are wonderful,” Cobl said. “They make great pets and they provide breakfast for you. The eggs you get from a free-ranging chicken taste better and are so much healthier than eggs from factory chickens.”

Once the Harrison Brothers chickens – an Australorp, a Barnevelder and a Wellsummer – are old enough, they will be moved to a farm where they will roam freely, eating a diet of grass and bugs, and laying eggs.

Events have been planned around the baby chicks, including a chick-naming contest. Anyone can stop by Harrison Brothers this weekend to cast a vote to name all three chickens. The winner will be drawn randomly and will receive a copy of the "Chicken & Egg" cookbook. The chicks' owners have promised to call the chickens by the winning names for the rest of the chickens' lives.

On Saturday, June 1, Natasha McCrary of 1818 Farms in Mooresville will teach a class at the store about starting a backyard chicken flock. Food made from farm-fresh eggs will be served. Anyone interested in attending can register at 1818Farms.com.

“It’s a great project for families to do together,” said Cobl. “I’m hoping the city of Huntsville will start to reconsider the ordinance as it stands now.”

Although the raising of backyard chickens for eggs has grown in popularity in recent years, Huntsville city ordinance 95-693 requires an animal pen to be at least 150 feet away from a neighboring house.

“That makes it extremely difficult for anyone in Huntsville to keep backyard chickens,” said Cobl, who keeps chickens with her husband Lane at their home in the Decatur area. “They aren’t dirty and they aren’t noisy. If you can have them in Atlanta, Nashville, and in New York City, you should be able to have them in Huntsville.”

For now, Huntsville residents can visit the baby chicks for another couple of weeks before they go to their new home to lay eggs at a rate of about one every 26 hours.

Located on the Southside Courthouse Square downtown, Harrison Brothers Hardware is generally recognized as the state’s oldest continuously-operating hardware store. It is owned and operated by the Historic Huntsville Foundation, staffed by volunteers and sells a variety of local art, home and garden items, toys and gifts. Several food-related events are scheduled at Harrison Brothers this summer; for a list click here.